TIE-BREAKERS: Group 11 finals to go for gold in extra time

BEN WALKER29 Dec 2012, 4:30 a.m.

RUGBY LEAGUE - Ties in future Group 11 finals will be decided by golden point extra time after a directive issued to Group officials by the Country Rugby League at the organisation's recent annual meeting.

TIE-BREAKERS: Group 11 finals to go for gold in extra time

This year's Group 11 preliminary final between Dubbo CYMS and Parkes was decided in extra time.
Photo:
JOSH HEARD

TIES in future Group 11 finals will be decided by golden point extra time after a directive issued to Group officials by the Country Rugby League at the organisation's recent annual meeting.

Group 11 previously had a rule in place where drawn finals matches were decided by 10 minutes each-way - the most recent time that came into effect being Dubbo CYMS' 16-13 win over Parkes in this season's preliminary final.

Scores were locked 12-all at full-time before Parkes went ahead courtesy of a Dennis Moran field goal early in the extra period.

However the crowd was kept on the edge of their seats as CYMS scored a try and Parkes tried to retaliate before the end of the 20 minutes.

At Group 11's recent AGM, all in attendance agreed to keep the 10 minutes each-way system however a complaint to the CRL forced it to become an agenda item at their meeting, infuriating Group 11 secretary Bob Walsh.

"It has been a written by-law of ours for some time that the 10 minutes each-way gets played and we voted on that at our meeting," Walsh said.

“At the meeting I said that if one person disagreed with it we would scrap it but it went through unanimously so we were happy enough to keep it.

“But then it came up at the CRL meeting and they told us that we had to go to the golden point so that is the way it will be.”

Group 11 chairman Jock Colley, himself a former Group 11 president, said the move was being made to try and have a consistent standard across all groups and leagues in NSW.

He admits that while he isn’t a fan of golden point, he also isn’t enamoured with the idea of replays.

“For example if that CYMS and Parkes game had been a draw at the end of the 20 minutes then the by-law says the game would have to be replayed,” Colley said.

“I’m not necessarily for golden point but I think it’s a better option than a potential replay and we need to have uniformity across the state.

“If every competition is run along the same rules then it lessens the chances of there being protests and everyone knows the rules under which they are playing.”

Meanwhile, a decision was made at the CRL meeting to introduce limited substitutions across the state and also enquire with their legal team about keeping the shoulder charge in the game.

Clubs will have to nominate four reserves and will only be allowed to make 12 interchanges throughout the match.

And while a decision has been made at NRL level to ban the controversial shoulder charge, the CRL isn’t obliged to follow suit but will go through the correct process.

“I think they’re taking too much out of the game but at the same time we have to make sure of our obligations legally,” Colley said.

“The NRL is its own entity and they have the right to make their own decision but we also have the right to make ours as well so we will see what comes of our talks with our lawyers.”